Student express concerns, confusion at lack of signs
An inconsistency in pricing signage has left students in the dark of how much they’re paying for their items. Illustration by: Maddie Bataille | Photo Editor
In dining spots on campus, such as the Corner Store, Brookside Bistro or Rams Den, there is a noticeable inconsistency in pricing signage.
“That’s something that we should and will now address because [prices] should be there,” Pierre St-Germain, the director of Dining Services, said.
At many Dining Services facilities on campus, the price of some or all products is currently not immediately clear or present at all. For example, in the Corner Store, prices were not displayed next to products, and in Rams Den, there was no clear signage displaying the price of food.
Although there are no rules or regulations on the display of prices on college campuses, St-Germain said that prices should be visible to community members in these spaces.
“Anyone could go up and ask the price, that sort of defeats the purpose,” St-Germain said. “They should be able to see it on the shelf somewhere, wherever it’s located.”
According to him, this is not the first time Dining Services has had issues with pricing displays. He explained that there were inconsistencies with digital signage at Brookside Bistro and physical signage at the Corner Store and Rams Den in the past.
“Anybody is able to go into any of our locations so they should know what the cost of something is,” St-Germain said. “We’ve gotten better about [prices] being very clear . . .[but] we maybe got away from that or didn’t revisit it this year, which is a problem.”
Some students, such as sophomore Julia Collamore, feel that this lack of pricing has made it hard for them to compare prices to other options in an effort to save money.
“[Prices] need to be displayed because I could go somewhere else if I don’t know the price,” Collamore said.
According to Collamore, an important process in their shopping routine is comparing prices in stores so that they know where to shop for the best deal. As a student, they feel that it is very important to save where they can.
“I want to buy stuff, but you don’t end up buying anything because you can’t see the prices,” second-year Anna Thompson said
The pricing matter is a sore point for the student body, as informed consumption is an integral process in maintaining financial stability, according to both Thompson and Collamore.
Because the display of pricing isn’t ideal for students, the St. Germain is intent on rectifying the issue. St-Germain said that this is an issue Dining Services plans to correct as soon as they can.
St-Germain stated that he wants to promote “flexible patterns” in dining so that students can dine at will, a notion that will become more present with the installation of pricing signage.
Since speaking to St-Germain, there has been an improvement in signage at Brookside Bistro – as seen with the multiple pink slips on display that specify what can be purchased with dining dollar – but there are no new indicators of the actual prices of available products; the Corner Store, as well, still lacks in its display of pricing.
When asked about the situation, employees of the Corner Store, who wish to remain anonymous, stated that any marking of price on products seemed to be done at random.